Just a Friend
by skutti2000
Summary: Christina has always been Tris's right hand woman, and she's always felt more than fine about playing second fiddle to her talented, gorgeous best friend. But will all that change when she meets a boy that turns her world upside down without even knowing? Present day AU Christina x Will, fourshot. This story will be updated at least every other day until completion.
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1**_

* * *

 _When I met Tris Prior, I knew we were going to be lifelong friends. We were polar opposites, but we complemented each other; Roth High had never seen a pair of besties like us._

She walked into school with her head held high. Christina watched as the petite but powerful blonde borderline strutted through the hallways. Somehow, the girl-no, woman-radiated careful sophistication and casual indifference at the same time. Slender and leanly athletic, she attracted the stares of many a male student as she made her way over to Christina, who fidgeted in her suddenly-juvenile jeans and top that had seemed cute in the mirror this morning.

"Hey, are you the Christina I'm supposed to see?" Her voice was soft, yet startling.

Chris was shocked when she saw the blonde up close. Somehow, she was even _more_ beautiful now, with her refined nose, flawless skin, and perfect brows. But her most striking feature was most definitely her eyes: as blue as a clear summer day, but mixed with the gray of an Atlantic storm.

 _Striking._ That was a good word to describe her.

"Yeah, I'm Christina. What's up?" She stuck out a hand to shake.

"Tris." The blonde shook her hand quickly but firmly. "You're showing me around?"

"Yeah. The principal said we have the same classes?"

She nodded slightly.

"Cool. I'll take you there."

The entire day passed with solely stale small talk passing through them. Thus one can imagine her surprise when Tris continued to stay in Christina's life. She had the grace of a dancer and the poise of a princess, along with the looks of a supermodel and the quick intelligence of a heroine. Boys wanted to date her and girls wanted to befriend her, save the occasional envy-overtaken socialite. Before she knew it, Tris had successfully inserted herself in Christina's life and made herself indispensable. Not only had she assimilated into her friend group, but Christina found herself as Tris' right hand woman, her best friend. And it pleased her... for the most part. She was her pair of ears, letting Tris know the gossip of the school, including the pieces that included Tris herself. Chris used her fashion prowess to make Tris look even more irresistible than she was, and let her know which boys to pursue and which boys to avoid. When Tris rose in the ranks of popularity, so did Christina. Where Tris went, Chris followed. Tris and Chris. Forever.

* * *

 _It had always been the Tris Prior show, with guest star Christina Kravitz. And I was completely okay with that. High school passed and we were roommates in college, and I was still okay with that. Playing second fiddle is usually not as bad as it sounds...then again, there are times that it is._

She had been eyeballing the guy for a good month now. He was really cute, in a geeky way. He had come late to Psych 101, mumbling that he overslept with a morning rasp as he sat down in the only available seat: the one closest to the door, next to Christina. His blond hair was an adorable mess, and she noticed that he smelled good, like mint and something distinctly male. He was wearing a button-up shirt, which was rumpled but somehow still made him look good. She slowly observed his tan skin and his delicious forearms that were exposed when he rolled up the cuffs of his shirt. Thick square frames covered bright, insightful green eyes. Chris tried to make it seem like she wasn't blatantly checking him out as he glanced her way. She smiled, and he grinned back.

Oh.

His smile.

He was beautiful.

She would've melted into a puddle of lovesick goo right there if it wasn't for the professor calling on her, bringing Christina back to the present. She shuffled through her notes for the answer before the person sitting on her other side called out the right answer.

"Correct, thank you, Miss Prior." The professor nodded once in Tris' direction before turning and giving a look of disapproval to Christina. "Please pay attention if you want to do well in my class, Miss Kravitz."

"Y-yes, Professor Black." She grimaced as class dismissed, and the students began to pack up their things.

Tris abruptly got up. "Hey, I have to go." She left within a blink, leaving Christina alone. What was up with her?

Chris was just about to sling her bag over her shoulder when she looked up and saw an intense pair of green eyes studying her. "Here, let me help with that."

"Uh…" Why weren't words coming out? Was she drooling? She couldn't tell.

He picked up her heavy bag like it was a paperweight. She found herself thinking about the effortless grace of his movements and the subtle flex of his arm. "I'm Will. What's your name?"

"Christina." She finally regained control of her motions. "Christina Kravitz. Why are you carrying my bag?"

He chuckled. "Aren't you blunt? Usually, when a guy carries a bag for a girl, she just goes along with it."

"For all I know, you could be a thief trying to steal it."

"A thief?" Will raised an eyebrow, the motion so perfect that her stomach was instantly full of butterflies. "Yes, I would get so much out of stealing your poorly written notes."

"Poorly written? Excuse me?"

"Whoa, not my fault you keep getting distracted in class!"

And it continued like this for the rest of the semester. He would pick up her bag, walk her back to her dorm, and drop her off. Tris always strangely went MIA after Psych, so Christina and Will would walk back, playfully bantering all the way. Sometimes they stopped at the campus cafe, or made a detour to the college library. They started to hang out more, even outside of class. Soon, Chris began to feel like she had found a best friend in Will...but, unbeknownst to him, she wanted more. It was heavenly torture, being around him so much. But he never talked about other girls, so she felt optimistic about her prospects.

* * *

This optimism went through the roof around the end of the semester.

 _Hey, I need to talk to you. Meet at the cafe at 1? -Will_

She squealed when she read the text on her phone. Tris had been gone, as usual. Chris actually hadn't seen much of her for the past couple weeks, but for now, she had other things on her mind. Blonde things. Handsome things.

Christina carefully planned her outfit, adding hints of his favorite color, sky blue, here and there. She could barely hold in her excitement. Will was finally asking her out! She could just imagine it...they'd be in the crowded cafe and suddenly he'd get on one knee. That would attract the attention of the people milling around, and someone would undoubtedly videotape it and post it up on Facebook or YouTube. _Would you make me the happiest man in the world and be my girlfriend, Christina Kravitz?_ She'd enthusiastically say yes, and Will would pull her in for a kiss flavored with coffee and peppermint.

She giggled to herself as she entered the cafe. It was packed with people, just like she visualized it. Will was sitting in a corner table for two, tapping on his phone while taking sips of his latte.

"Hey, Will!"

"Christina!" Will looked up, a wide grin on his face. "I got you a vanilla frap, my treat."

He had remembered her favorite coffee! "Thank you." She sat down across from him and took a deep breath. "So what did you want to tell me?"

"Yeah…" Will looked at his fingers and drummed them on the side of his cup. "Sorry, this is just so hard to say."

 _Aww, he's nervous about it? This guy cannot get any cuter._ "Take your time. I'll be right here."

He inhaled, then exhaled. "Let me just put it this way. Basically, there's this girl I like. And she seems really cool, and she's really pretty, but I have no idea how to ask her out."

"Yeah?" Christina leaned forward, a smile playing on her lips. "And who is this mysterious girl that has caught your attention, hmm?"

"Her name is…"

 _Christina Kravitz._

"...Tris Prior."

 _WHAT?_ She abruptly sat back in her chair.

"She's absolutely gorgeous, and she always knows all the answers in class...she's so intelligent, and I really like that in a girl, you know?"

Tris Prior? _Her_ Tris Prior?

"And her smile, it just lights up a room, and I just...even though I've never talked to her, I know she would be an amazing person, you know?"

"Y-yeah?" Christina managed to choke out one word. There was a lump in her throat that wasn't going away.

Will smiled at her, unaware of what he was doing to her. "I guess what I'm saying is this: can you please introduce us? You're her best friend, after all, and she's listen to you. Maybe put it in a good word for me? I'd really appreciate it, especially since we're bros."

"Bros." She smiled tightly. "Right."

She should've seen this coming, really. Tris had always been reputed to be the more beautiful, more dateable one of the two. Countless guys had come up to Christina in the past, begging for her phone number or just an introduction. No one had ever asked Tris for Christina's number, and Peter, the one guy that Chris had dated in high school, asked Tris out the day after their breakup.

And here was Will, giving her a look that broke her heart. Why did she think he would have been any different? "Okay," she said softly, as she rose out of her seat. "I'll do it for you."

"You will?" The expression on his face was one of pure glee. "Thank you so much!" Swept up in emotion, he embraced her. The feel of his arms around him was bittersweet; she knew that she would never experience it the way she wanted to.

"No problem." Christina picked up her bag and coffee. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go. Studying, you know how it is."

Will deflated a bit. "Are you sure we can't hang out?"

"I don't think that's a good idea, sorry."

With that, she marched out of the cafe. Just before she disappeared from Will's line of sight, he watched her throw the full vanilla frappucino into the trash can.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

* * *

 _I remember the heartache from that day so vividly. I felt like both Tris and Will had betrayed me, even though I knew they were both totally clueless of my feelings. Nevertheless, I stayed true to my word. I introduced Will to Tris, and he asked her out. If finding out Will's crush was bad, living through their relationship was worse._

Christina walked in from her mock trial meeting extremely exhausted, kicking off her heels and unbuttoning her blazer. Her sleek updo had become prey to gravity, her thick hair slowly sinking down as flyaways framed her face. She just wanted to take a shower and go to sleep.

"Tris? I'm home." She heard no answer, but didn't think of it. As she opened the door to their shared bedroom, her eyes widened at the sight.

"Christina! Hey." Tris nonchalantly slipped her shirt over her head, but her face was a telltale shade of scarlet. "Didn't plan on you coming so early!"

"The meeting ran over, actually." Christina didn't even want to look at the _other_ blonde in the room, but it was hard not to. Will's face was also tinged pink, but his tan covered it up well. One of his shirt buttons was on wrong, and his hair was mussed, with random sections of his hair standing up on end. Chris shot him a scowl. "You usually tell me when you don't want me to bother you guys."

Will smirked. "Sorry, Chris. We were just watching a movie, and then we got a little…" he shot a playful glance at Tris. "...carried away."

"Whatever," Christina huffed.

Tris' voice adopted a tone of motherly concern. "Christina? Are you okay?"

She rolled her eyes. "Sure."

"I should probably leave…" Will gathered up his jacket and made a quick exit, stopping just to kiss Tris deeply on the lips. Christina felt uncomfortable beyond belief. "Call me, babe." And with that, he was gone.

"So…" she made her way over to Christina's bed and sat down next to her. "What's going on? You've been acting weird for around a month now."

"Nothing, I...I just had a bad day, that's all, I promise." Chris forced a smile. "How are things going with you and Will?"

Tris shrugged. "Alright, I guess."

"You guess?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, don't get me wrong, he's a great guy, but I don't think he's exactly my type."

"He...isn't?"

"No." Tris cradled her head in her hands. "My type would be tall...brown hair and dark blue eyes...a tattoo peeking out of the back of his shirt…warm hands, a soft voice, and the most amazing arms you've ever seen, oh my goodness."

Interesting. So Tris wasn't just out of love with Will. She was obviously describing a specific person here. Christina felt her heart leap as she realized that maybe "Willstina" still had a possibility of happening.

"So why don't you just break up with Will, then?"

"Break up with Will?" Tris looked at Christina like she was crazy. "No way."

"Why not?"

"Because...because it's fun."

"Fun?" Christina could barely keep the edge out of her voice. "You're leading that poor guy on without a care because it's _fun_ for you?"

"Christina, chill. It's not like we're in a serious relationship, anyway. We've only been together for a month." Tris rolled her eyes. "What's it to you, anyway? There's nothing wrong with him, and I'm enjoying the extra attention."

"Can't you see that it's torture for me?" Chris burst out.

Tris' eyebrows shot up. "Torture? What do you mean?"

They stared at each other for a moment before Christina sighed. "I can't deal with this right now. I'm going to take a shower and go to bed."

"Okay. I think I'm going to head to Will's, if that's okay, to make sure he's all good. Don't wait up for me, though."

The underlying message beneath her words was clear. "Fine," Chris said bitterly, as she turned away from Tris. "Have fun."

Tris didn't bother replying, and soon the door clicked shut behind Christina. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding as she flopped back on her bed. How had everything gone so wrong? It had been a crush, for Pete's sake. But now, she had pushed away not only Will but her best friend, as well. How could a mere infatuation tear their friendship apart, of all things?

There was only one explanation: that Christina had _always_ resented Tris' constant position above her, and Will was just the catalyst that exposed it. Could it be true? Had she been jealous of Tris this entire time?

Were they even friends?

* * *

 _That seed of doubt grew and flowered. I was still friends with Tris and Will. Eventually, Will and I met more often that Tris and I did. As awkward as it was with Will and I, it was even more awkward with Tris. All I could think about when I would talk to her is how she was betraying Will and cruelly leading him on. Months turned to years, and suddenly, things got a whole lot worse._

Will and Christina strolled through the park on the cold winter day, sipping their hot coffees and breathing out puffs of air. The entire campus was frozen over, with icicles hanging off the trees and snow blanketing the grass. He whispered a joke to Christina, who laughed loudly. As much as she had tried to, even through all the years she hadn't been able to shake the feelings she had for him. She had gone on dates with other guys, even slept with them, and amid it all she had just wanted to be there with Will. As she got to know him more and spend time with him, she realized that what she felt wasn't just a simple crush-it was unrequited love.

But she would rather have Will as a friend than Will not at all, so she went along with him and became his friend.

Just a friend.

She felt Will grab her arm, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"I have something important to show you, Chris."

She gulped. What could it be? "Okay, what is it?"

"It's…" Slowly, he reached into his pocket and brought out a small, black, velvet box.

Christina felt her heart clench as her eyes filled with tears. "Oh, Will…"

"I'm proposing to her tonight at our date." He smiled a little. "I think I'm...we're ready."

"I'm so happy for you," she said, as she forced a smile. "But why are you telling me this?"

Will took her shoulders and looked deep into her eyes. "You're her best friend, Christina. I wanted your blessing."

"Oh." An icicle fell from a tree onto the sidewalk, shattering into a million pieces. She felt her heart break with it.

He slowly opened the box, revealing an exquisite diamond ring, tiny stones adorning the sides. It was beautiful. "This is it."

"Wow, I…" Christina looked up at him as a tear spilled over and rolled down her cheek. Will was head over heels for Tris, but "She's going to be a very lucky woman, Will."

His face lit up as he processed her words, and he swept her into a giant bear hug, taking her back to the day that he had asked Christina to introduce him to Tris. She could barely keep herself from sobbing openly, wiping away her tears as she let him go. When Will looked questioningly at the sight of her tear stained face, she waved him off with a plastic smile. "I'm just so happy for you two, that's all."


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3**_

* * *

 _As the date of the wedding approached, Tris grew further and further away from me, and with her she took Will. Still, I wasn't surprised when I was picked as the maid of honor. Who else would she have picked? The guy she was seeing on the side? I was honestly in shock that she was still going through with the ordeal. But after the rehearsal dinner, it was clear that this wedding was going to be one of the most beautiful the world had ever seen..._

"Will!" Christina's heart leapt as she saw a familiar blonde head in front of her in the corridor. "Will!" She bobbed and wove through the crowded hallway, trying desperately to catch up.

He looked back and Christina saw his face harden. It had been two months since she had seen him since the incident, and she missed him terribly. But she could understand if a person needed space after the disaster that had occurred to Will.

She finally caught up with him, out of breath and practically running to keep up with his brisk, long strides. "Hey, it's been a while."

"It has." A nerve in Will's jaw twitched as he pressed his lips together into a stony grimace.

"Do you want to maybe catch up? Over coffee?" Will pushed the door open and didn't hold it, almost slamming Christina in the face. "Hey, watch it."

"I'll pass."

She exasperatedly sighed and ran to get in front of him, blocking his view. "Why?" He looked away, and she tried to meet his eyes. "It can be just like the old days, Will. Getting coffee after psych."

"It'll never be like the old days." His voice was so low that Christina had to lean in a little to hear it above the din of the college courtyard. But then he looked at her, and she had to take a step back. The hurt in his eyes was all too evident; the wound of Tris's betrayal was still too fresh.

Christina bit her lip. "Is there a way I can change that?"

"I honestly don't know, Chris." At the sound of her old nickname, she felt a glimmer of hope, but it was quickly extinguished when she heard his next words. "Answer this one question. Did you _know?"_

She stared at him, trying desperately to say the word _no_ , but nothing came out. She remembered all too well the sight of Will, waiting excitedly at the altar, as she walked up to him to deliver the news. It was definitely not how she expecting walking down the aisle to Will would feel like. She could vividly picture his face as she whispered the crushing words in his ear- _she's run away, I can't find her, I'm so sorry_ -and how he flinched when she tried to touch his arm in comfort. But she understood, because she deserved it. It was impossible to miss the male shirt two sizes too big on Tris's bedroom floor every couple months. She couldn't ignore the hurried whispers of a man and woman, only one of them blonde, waking her up. Yet she hadn't gone to Will because, like always, she had figured Tris had it covered.

Will grimaced, running a hand through his tousled blond hair, and instantly the vulnerability written on his face vanished. "That's what I thought. And that's why I can't have coffee with you. Or talk to you. Or even see you anymore. Because every time you call, every time I even see your face in a crowd or in the hallway, I think about how much you hurt me. You and your pathetic best friend." He stepped around her and continued on his way.

"Hey!" Christina felt anger boiling up inside her as she stalked beside him. "You don't get to insult Tris and I like that and not give me a chance to defend myself."

"I did give you a chance, Christina. I gave you _four years_ of chances."

"You're right, you did," Christina said, waving him off. "But you should know that she's not my best friend anymore. She's just pathetic."

He stopped short and turned to her. "What?"

"While I may not have explicitly known, I definitely had my suspicions, but I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, you know? So I decided to ask her instead of coming straight to you. She wanted me to keep quiet, so as her best friend, I did. But as your friend..." She looked down and sighed, before glancing back up at him. "I don't know how many times I can apologize, but I didn't have any concrete idea that she was...I don't know, just so blatantly cruel, I guess."

They stood in silence for a moment, the bustle of the campus quad filling in the dead air. Finally, Will cracked a sad smile. "Do you know why I carried your stuff for you on the first day we met?"

Flashing back to that day, one of the best of her life, she shook her head no, lips parting slightly. "Why?"

"I had this feeling about you." He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "My entire life, people have been lying to me. I grew up in a house where it was more important to win than to be kind. I went to school with people that just used me for my smarts. So you just struck me as, I don't know, refreshingly honest." A shadow passed over his face as Christina realized where this was going. "But I know better now."

"Will."

"No, I-I'm sorry Chris, I just can't right now. Maybe ever."

"Will, please, I-" _love you_. That's what she wanted to say. But how could she say that when not only was he the ex-fiance of her former best friend, but when their entire relationship had been completely platonic?

"You what?" He looked at her expectantly, if not quizzically.

"I, um," she stuttered, then sighed. "I'm really going to miss you."

Will nodded once, firmly. "Take care, Christina."

And with that, the man she had loved for the past four years turned on his heel and walked out of her life.


End file.
